‘Politics is nasty. And it’s getting worse’: Lionel Richie on his worries for America, his friend Michael Jackson – and why he still believes in the power of love

He’s known for his ballads and winning smile – but the singer has also had a ringside seat to history, from the civil rights battles in his native Alabama to the rise and fall of pop’s biggest superstar

Lionel Richie walks into the hotel meeting room at 6.20pm and stretches his arms out wide. “Good morning, everybody,” he says in a southern drawl as smooth as whipped cream. He’s not joking. Richie, 76, is touring here in Budapest, and he’s on rock’n’roll (well, legendary soul balladeer) time. The singer-songwriter, who has sold more than 100m& records over his six decades in the business, has just got up. “That bed was saying to me, ‘Stay here, Lionel, you’re looking goooood.’”

He introduces me to his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi, a& Swiss entrepreneur. Parigi is in her mid-30s, gorgeous, friendly, and young enough to be his daughter – or granddaughter at a push. To be fair, though, Richie looks fabulous. As a& young man, he was all chin and tache. Now he’s just regular handsome, surprisingly tall, with a bearing that verges on the military. Parigi leaves us to chat.